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Virtual
Machines,
virtualization,
emulation,
and translation layers are much larger subjects than I
want to go into too great detail here. Basically, they
can, or are attempting to, run anything from single
programs to entire operating systems in an isolated
memory area on a host operating system. Installing VMWare
Workstation
on a Windows host will allow you to run a
virtual version of
Linux, BSD, and Solaris operating
systems, as well as different versions of Windows -
for example Windows for Workgroups, 95B, DOS 6.22, or
XP on your Windows 2000 or other Windows system. Or, you could run most
of these OS's from the Linux version of VMWare on a
Linux machine. Microsoft has Virtual
PC2004 emulation for the desktop Windows machines
and a version for Mac to run Windows called Virtual
PC for Mac, and
Virtual
Server 2005 for serving images on the enterprise
network, much as VMWare's ESX
and GSX
server versions.
Wine
is an example of a translation layer - program loader
- where Windows program can be run on
POSIX
compatible
operating systems, such as Linux and BSD operating
systems. This is a free
open source
initiative, but
there is also an inexpensive commercial version for
guaranteeing the use of
Microsoft Office
products, as
well as many other programs like
Adobe PhotoShop, on
these systems - CrossOver
Office.
With emulation
- using either software alone, or with an add-in ROM
card - you can run OS's that are meant to run on a
different hardware architecture, such as an Amiga,
a Nintendo,
Atari,
Sega,
Sony
Play Station, and of course -
Game
Boy - or a
PowerPC
version of Linux, or a
pre-OSX
MacIntosh
version on an
x86
based computer without having to
have it compiled especially to run on that system. PearPC
is an example that emulates
Power PC
architecture to
allow guest OS's compiled to run on
PPC
architecture
to run on the
x86
architecture in either Windows or
Linux/BSD host OS configurations.
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